A plan to end stalemate on immigration

by Laurie Roberts - Jul. 3, 2010 12:00 AMThe Arizona Republic

On the eve of the Fourth of July, as here in Arizona we prepare to both celebrate this country's birthday and fend off its attack, it seems a good time to ponder the cage fight now under way in the land of the red, white and black-and-blue.

On one side stands Gov. Jan Brewer, who this week unleashed an ad that went national - as everything she does these days is apt to do. There she was, standing in front of one of those warning signs posted in the desert, turf now essentially ceded to drug and human smugglers.

On the other stands President Barack Obama, who has been forced to take on the issue of illegal immigration given Senate Bill 1070. On Thursday, he called on Congress to fix America's "broken and dangerous" immigration system and then announced that it won't happen because of Republicans.

"I'm ready to move forward," Obama said. "The majority of Democrats are ready to move forward. And I believe the majority of Americans are ready to move forward."

So who wins?

Brewer does. Thanks to illegal immigrants, she's a rock star to the right and a regular now on the national talk-show circuit. On Monday, she even made an endorsement in the Georgia gubernatorial race, where a Republican candidate called her "an inspiration to conservatives." Polls that had her trailing Democrat Terry Goddard just three months ago had her 18 points ahead this week.

And Obama does. Latino leaders have been grinding their teeth for a while now, ever since Obama punted on his promise to tackle immigration reform during his first year in office. This week, he was able to both issue the call for a bipartisan approach and bash Republicans.

So who loses?

Oh, that's easy. The rest of us. Because the border remains a sieve and 11 million people remain in the shadows.

Since this is the weekend for bombs bursting in air, let me toss out one of my own: an actual compromise. You know, that thing that used to be considered a sign of leadership and now is considered a sign of weakness?

I can already tell you that one side will blast it as surrender and the other will call it inhumane.

I call it the beginning of a plan aimed at ending our current state of stalemate.

No. 1. Stop holding our security hostage and get control of the border now. On Thursday, Obama said the border is "more secure today than at any time in the past 20 years." A few hours later, 21 people died in a shootout among rival gangs just 12 miles south of Nogales. Put down the talking points and fix it so that people with AK-47s aren't running through the desert. Fix it so that the people we've deported stay deported. Fix it with National Guard troops who are actually allowed to do what they are trained to do. That is, guard.

No. 2. Once we have control - and only after we have control - take up the issue of how to offer a chance of legalization to those who can prove they have been here since some set point in time that begins before any last-minute rush to the border to get in on the deal. They would need to have a clean criminal record, pay a fine and learn English. Yes, some hard-liners will try to stall on what "control" means. Yes, it's unfair to those who seek to come here the legal way, and yes, it's "amnesty." But it's also an acknowledgement that they are here and that we had a hand in their arrival. At least, our employers did, and we certainly never complained about the cheap labor.

No. 3. Create a tamperproof ID card and put employers on notice that if they're caught with ineligible workers, they're in big trouble.

No. 4. Establish a guest-worker program that fills the need for immigrant labor but only after being fair to the American worker, who will do most jobs, I suspect, if he or she is paid a living wage.

And No. 5. Along with securing the border now, pass the DREAM Act now.

Call it a show of a good faith. Call it a quid pro quo. Call it whatever you want, but this is America, and in America we don't punish people for crimes they didn't commit. Offer a break to those who came as kids and have stayed out of trouble. Make them jump through some suitable hoops, if you want, but give them a shot at a decent education and a chance to be citizens of the greatest country in the world, and who knows?

They might actually have something to contribute that'll make it even greater.